1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a heating-ventilation and/or air-conditioning apparatus for the passenger space of a motor vehicle, of the kind comprising components disposed on both sides of a transverse partition separating the passenger space from the front engine compartment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an apparatus of this kind, the components are fixed to the transverse partition, which may be an integral part of the vehicle's bodyshell or which may be made in the form of a panel mounted in the bodyshell, as described in French Patent Appplication No. 87 02271 in the Applicant's name.
The components of the apparatus situated on the side of the engine compartment essentially comprise a separator, the function of which is to separate rain water from the air taken from the outside beneath the windshield, an air intake device intended to convey at will either the air taken from the outside or the recirculated air from the passenger space, and an electric fan unit for conveying the outer air or the recirculated air towards the passenger space.
The components of the apparatus situated on the side of the passenger space comprise a radiator for heating the air coming from the electric fan unit and an air distributor from which come air ducts ending in vents opening towards the passenger space. These vents normally comprise at least one demisting vent for the windshield, at least one demisting vent for the side windows, at least one air vent situated on the dashboard and at least one vent opening towards the lower part of the passenger space.
These components may also comprise an evaporator should the vehicle be equipped with an air-conditioning option.
In this latter case, the evaporator is placed upstream from the radiator, which enables, if desired, the air to be cooled in order to dehumidify it before reheating it.
The apparatus of the above-mentioned type have a certain number of drawbacks.
Firstly, they require ducts of great length to connect the distributor to the various vents, which increases the distance to be covered by the air and for this reason results in losses of energy, in particular of heat energy.
Moreover, these apparatus are poorly adapted to present vehicles, particularly to vehicles known as "single box", in which the windshield is strongly inclined as an extension of the hood. In such vehicles the driver's compartment is very elongated in the longitudinal direction and therefore it is necessary to provide air ducts which are not just long, but also have complex shapes.
Furthermore, the air distributors of apparatus of the above-mentioned type have a complex structure and normally require several shutters mounted in a housing and a complex control mechanism for the shutters to distribute the air between the various vents opening towards the passenger space.